Rockstar drives 'Red Dead Redemption' fans wild with new image

If there were any doubts about Rockstar Games’ new blood-red logo hinting at a return to the Red Dead Redemption universe, banish them now.

The Grand Theft Auto developer followed up its Sunday surprise on Monday morning with a new image share. This one features seven gun-toting figures in silhouette, framed against a golden sunset underneath a blood-red sky.

There’s very little question left at this point that Rockstar is teasing some kind of Red Dead announcement. And given that the 2010 game added backwards compatibility on Xbox One over the summer — not to mention the currently ongoing slow burn reveal — it’s fair to speculate that we’re looking at the rollout for a new game announcement.

Nothing official has been revealed about what’s next for the Red Dead universe, but a couple of alleged leaks from earlier this year provide additional fodder for speculation. Just bear in mind that this is all unconfirmed until/unless Rockstar says otherwise.

An alleged world map for the ‘Red Dead Redemption’ that leaked in April 2016.

Image: NeoGAF

In March 2016, an anonymous tipster told FragHero that a Red Dead sequel — bearing the subtitle “Legends of the West” — would be released in fall 2017, with an HD remake of the 2010 game coming in late 2016.

The tipster — who claimed to be sharing the information secondhand, from an ex-Rockstar employee — also noted that the Red Dead sequel would feature multiple playable characters. It wouldn’t be a surprise, given that Grand Theft Auto V featured three playable characters.

Another rumor surfaced on month later, in April 2016, when an image of the alleged Red Dead sequel’s world map was shared on the NeoGAF gaming forum. A source close to the game’s development confirmed to TechRadar that the image was, at the time, “very recent.”

The same source also confirmed that the new game would actually be set before the events of Red Dead Redemption. The map that leaked, the source added, is a chunk of land located just to the east of the 2010 game’s playable area.

Just remember that none of this is confirmed. Rockstar is clearly ramping up for some kind of Red Dead-related reveal, and these details — whether or not they’re true — are all part of the fun speculation we get to engage in until the news becomes official.